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The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness
by Stephen R. Covey
Stephen Covey challenges each of us to become leaders
Stephen Covey has done it again! He’s written another book that can, and will, change both corporations and the individuals who drive them. In "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People," he outlined the path for living with character and integrity.
"The 8th Habit" is the product of years of research about society, progressing eras advanced by science and technology and the individual whose needs have remained the same throughout history’s progression.
Covey has defined a new era, the Knowledge Worker Age. The fulfillment of the 8th habit takes the individual to greatness. He defines his audience as the individual and the organization, from families to corporations. His new theory is called the whole-person paradigm. Covey takes us through five ages of civilization: the Hunter and Gatherer Age, the Agricultural Age, the Industrial Age, the Information/Knowledge Worker Age and an emerging Age of Wisdom. He moves us from the “thing” mind-set of the Industrial Age to the “people” mind-set of the Knowledge Worker Age. He discusses the problem of managing people like things. This puts all the pressure at the top of any organization - leadership has to come from the apex and everyone else follows. Covey asserts that when people are the focus, each of us has the ability to become leaders by acting independently, making decisions and effecting change. He charges us with looking inside ourselves rather than outside to provide solutions and improvements.
He bases our ability to grow on the four dimensions of a person - body, mind, heart and spirit. He has found this quadrant throughout his studies of world philosophies and religions. These dimensions lead to the four basic needs or motivations of a person, to: (1) live; (2) love; (3) learn; and, (4) leave a legacy.
Covey takes us through our ability to make choices to our need for finding our unique voices. His solution for today’s problems involve two challenges: (1) find your voice; and, (2) inspire others to find their voice. As he said about the 7seven habits, he didn’t invent his ideas, he simply identified and organized them into a sequential framework. That is his gift, to identify the needs and characteristics of people, and structure his ideas in a way that we all can understand. With his outline, we can each move to a higher level of greatness and leadership. He writes for everyone; from the CEO to the factory worker; from the stay-at-home parent to the teacher in the classroom; from the young to the old; and, from the rich to the poor.
The book comes with a DVD containing 16 films, all excellent vignettes that highlight his lessons and inspirations for leadership.
Title: The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness
Author: Stephen R. Covey
Publisher: Free Press
ISBN: 0684846659
Review written by: Pat McGrath Avery
Reviewer's Rating:9
Reader's Rating: 6.00
Reader's Votes: 3
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